


Stand in the Light

by ishipacowboyandanarcher



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Internalized Homophobia, Kinda?, Kingdom!AU, M/M, Prince!Gabriel, knight!Jack, sorta?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 13:29:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9899243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ishipacowboyandanarcher/pseuds/ishipacowboyandanarcher
Summary: Where Gabriel is a prince betrothed to Angela Zeigler but he has a problem. He doesn’t bat for that team and Jack just so happens to be his knight in shining armour.





	

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing Reaper76 from Gabriel's perspective.  
> Hopefully y'all enjoy.

Gabriel squared his jaw as he walked down the throne room past each knight. The light pooled down the red carpet, sending what appeared to be a heavenly light cast around him. He almost scoffed. All the knights were boring one sided men who only wanted glory. Nothing for the kingdom or the King himself. He could see the burn of battle raging in their eyes and blood lust coursing through their veins. In all honesty it rather turned Gabriel away from them all. That was until he saw the blonde. His brow seemed sincere and relaxed, without the air of cockiness.  The torn expression on his face showed he cared a great deal about his job, along with his morality; a man Gabriel could learn to respect. His father ordered him to become better aquatinted with the knights, especially the higher ranking ones. Gabriel analysed the individual. The three small engravings on his helmet meant he only had three confirmed kills in battle. However, he bore the colours and emblems of a high-ranked man. This intrigued Gabriel due to the fact that the easiest way to climb through the ranks was generally through killing. This man must be very brave or very wise. Or perhaps both of them.  

"You." Gabriel commanded seeing the man practically jump out of his skin. "Stand."   

The blonde man obediently stood up straight. Gabriel tipped his chin up with a gloved hand. He heard a slight hitch in his breath which was understandable, especially under the scrutiny of a prince. Gabriel looked into the blue eyes. They seemed to shine off of every surface; shined with the wonder and curiosity of a child. They wandered around the room but refused to maintain eye contact. His face had a lack of noticeable stubble. Still young, or perhaps unable to grow any facial hair. 

"Look me in the eyes and tell me your name." The man opened his mouth to speak when the throne room doors opened once again.    

"Meet me in the courtyard once we are through." Gabriel sternly followed up knowing their conversation would be at a close with the arrival of his father.  

His father walked past, not even bothering to look at any of the Knights bowed before him. Gabriel tailed behind his father as he walked past.   

"At ease." His father commanded and in unison the chorus of knights stood tall. Gabriel spotted the blonde in the crowd and nodded his head. His father sat down at the throne and indicated Gabriel a place to kneel. 

Gabriel reluctantly took a kneel in front of his father. He swore he would have knee problems at at an early age due to bullshit like this. His knee dug uncomfortably into the lush carpet that Gabriel himself had chosen. Luckily enough for him his father was a man of few words. Something he could admire was his father's ability to say something with minimal words and time.  

"I have finally found you a bride my son." His father announced much to Gabriel's distaste.    

"But father I-" His father cut him off abruptly.   

"I did not give you permission to speak." His father bore into his eyes. "In the next kingdom over, there is a girl." Gabriel's heart stopped. That's right. Girl. "Her name is Angela Ziegler. She is a very prominent woman who has a lot of potential influence."   

He was getting married for power. Power and money - nothing more, nothing less. The proud Gabriel Reyes, the prince of Overwatch, reduced to nothing but power and money. It was unacceptable in his eyes.  

Gabriel stormed out of the room straight to the courtyard. He sat on a wooden bench. A beautiful day for not so beautiful news. No one could know Gabriel was who he was. A man lost in a time where it wasn't acceptable to be anything other than straight. Hell it was punishable by death in some Kingdoms. Moments later a soft crunch of feet was heard upon the gravel. 

"That look heated." Gabriel looked up pleadingly at the blonde when he noticed his presence.  

"I'm not marrying a woman," Gabriel stopped. Realising what he had just said he tacked on a "for power nor money. Only for love."  

Jack nodded in an understanding manner. 

"Sorry about myself earlier. The name's Gabriel." He stretched his arm out in the form of a greeting. It was a rather informal introduction, especially considering Gabriel's position within the Kingdom compared to the blonde's.  

"It is fine. The name is Strike Commander of Blackwatch, John Morrison, or more informally, Jack." Now that Gabriel was closer, he noted that Jack was _beautiful._ His sun-kissed face indicated that he had grown up poor – perhaps from a farming family. The glowing blonde hair cast a halo-like appearance, framing his face in a soft hue of yellow. And his freckles. God, his _fucking_ freckles. Gabriel wanted to touch all of them, to feel the warm skin under his hands. Jack was smiling down at him.  

"Do I have something on my face?" Jack smiled, commenting off-handily.  

"I – uh – no..." Gabriel turned his gaze away from the blonde man. "So Jack, tell me about yourself." Gabriel queried genuinely. He wondered about this man and his wandering blue eyes. The blonde looked relatively confused. Almost as if he was like 'The prince? Asking about _me_? _'_   

"I grew up in the outskirts of the capital. My parents could hardly provide for themselves, let alone the two children they had. We received no external help from the throne, so I had to do what I do best. Use my brain and fight. I scarcely ate for an entire month so I could save up enough to join the Knights Academy to even have a _slight_ chance of becoming something. I did it for my family but I also did it because I knew this Kingdom needed a man who could lead from the inside, rather than a figure-head who sat on his ass all day and pretended to make choices for the country." Jack looked like he was boiling with rage, unsurfaced. This was not the man he thought he saw in the throne room. No, this man was perhaps even more intriguing to Gabriel.   

"I feel like I owe you an apology." Gabriel solemnly said.  

"Perhaps you do, but an apology will not appease the pain I have gone through to get where I am today." Jack sternly said. It felt more like he was getting a lecture than getting to know someone.   

Gabriel rubbed the back of his own neck. Strong, independent and good-natured. Qualities that Gabriel held true to himself throughout all he had gone through.  

"I feel there is nothing words can't fix. With that in mind, Jack Morrison, I wish tell you my own story if you so would so kindly listen?" Gabriel got nothing more than a silent wave of blonde hair nodding. 

Gabriel stood up from the stone bench. His legs sore from kneeling and sitting. He meandered around the garden with Jack in tow. He inspected each flower, every throne and every stem. Their beauty apparent through the pain and danger that lay underneath. He contemplated every word he was going to say. The breaths slowly falling from his lips. Gabriel pulled a pale white flower, a Jasmine, to his nose; inhaling the sweet fragrance as a petal tickled his lip.  

"I have seen more battles than years I have lived. I have grown up amongst the strongest men in this nation and seen them fall easier than cards. I have more scars of war than scars of love. I have seen more death in my short time on earth than I have seen birth. Being prince isn't like the fairy tales you were told as children." Gabriel sighed putting his face into his hands.  "Death, war and disease are everyday events. I am sure you have witnessed at least some of these within your time in our higher ranks."  

Jack offered nothing but a small rub on the back. He knew fully well the trials and tribulations Gabriel was going through. If not, it may have been worse. Had he seen a child starve to death? Parents forced to leave children to starve simply because they are no longer able to provide? Hell, had Gabriel ever even been out of the damn capital?  

"My mother died when I was 14. To say it shaped me would be similar to me saying that her living would have shaped me. I am the man I am with or without her. Sometimes I would like to think I miss her, but in reality I hardly knew her." Gabriel begrudgingly admitted. He hardly knew his own father – just his roles and responsibilities as King and how he would soon take over. He could hardly say the same thing about his mother. Gabriel hummed to Jack, rubbing small circles in his back. He was over it. His dad. His responsibilities. He wanted to be with a man of his choice – not some predetermined bride and well to be fully honest, it felt like Jack just might be the one to change his world upside down. Surprisingly enough, Jack made the first move. Maybe Jack would be his knight in shining armour. The light of his world with his tuft of blonde hair and damn freckles. It was a hopeless dream. A want that he could never have. A life he could never live.  

Jack grabbed Gabriel's hand dragging him towards the stables nearby. He felt the beating pulse and the small amount of perspiration built up on Gabriel's hand. Jack had studied where their greatest weaknesses were and this for a period of time was always left unattended by guards. It was impulsive and silly. Risky and worth every punishment he may receive.   

"We have privacy for five minutes." Their breaths lingered in the air together heavily. Neither making a move towards or away from each other. Gabriel leaned in not to Jack's lips but to his ear.   

"Run away with me, Jack Morrison." Gabriel stared into his eyes. Serious and convincing, the glare that had sent people to their knees. Not often was it that Gabriel didn’t get what he wanted. More often than not he would be able to con his way into things. Quick wit and a sharp tongue often kept him alive. 

Despite his serious demeanour Gabriel knew the idea was impulsive, indulgent and rash. His hands shook, hiding them behind his back. Jack would never leave, not with leaving his family behind. Not with leaving so much of what he had worked up to behind. 

"Yes." Was all he offered in return, and that was enough to set Gabriel's heart ablaze. He took the blonde's hand, wanting to smile ear to ear but knowing that he had to keep himself under control. He saddled up two horses, packing nothing but what was on his back and the small amount of coin in his pocket. The blue sky and blonde hair. The rich earth and rich eyes. Together they would run away. From all their struggles and into the world that together they could rule – or at least that's what Gabriel would hope. He wasn't sure how Jack felt. He wasn't sure if he was running away out of obligation or for his feelings. Was he running away from the Kingdom or was he running away from himself? Questions Gabriel pondered over.  

Gabriel threw himself onto the saddled horse, waiting for Jack to follow suit. The pair rode down the cobble pathway, the clunk of horseshoes setting a steady rhythm for Gabriel's heart to follow. Reaching the edge of the city soon after the pair retreated off the cobble path and instead, taking a short goat's track. Gabriel spotted a lone tree on a hill. Its green unlike anything Gabriel had seen. Wild and yet so tame compared to the tangle of forest that lay further behind it.  

"There." Jack pointed to the same tree, as if he had read Gabriel's mind. He nodded in response to him.  

Jack was a man of few words, Gabriel discovered. Sure, they were running away, not going for a wondering stroll through the gardens. Perhaps he didn't know what to talk about. Nonetheless, Gabriel could hardly bring himself to care, with the fast paced riding he doubted his ability to talk with the man he rode beside anyway. 

Jack's hair flowed wonderfully through the air. He looked more _alive._ As if he were born to be riding a horse in open fields of green grass and clear skies. His strong legs wrapped around the horse, at felt as though he was getting closer. Wait no, it _was_ getting closer. Gabriel snapped out of his half-day dream adoration and turned his horse before running into Jack's.  

"Take care." Jack's expression unmoving. Astringent and cold. Gabriel started to doubt his assumptions that he had of the other man at the beginning. 

The pair arrived at their destination. 

"I'd like to apologise again." Gabriel turned away. He looked towards the sky keeping Jack in the corner of his eye. He saw a surprised look cross his face, but it was soon replaced again with a cold stare. He took this as an indication to continue. "My behaviour in the throne room was uncalled for." 

Jack's face settled a little. "Then I must apologise for being cold towards you. After that instance I haven't treated you correctly..." It felt as though there were more words to be said but Gabriel dismissed it.  

Jack must've thought over his feelings, something Gabriel hoped he were for the positive for him. Gabriel scooted a little closer to where Jack was sitting.  

"This is rather nice wouldn't you say?" Gabriel admitted candidly. Soft grass complimented soft eyes and soft stares. 

"The kingdom casts a harsh contrast to the natural landscape," Jack's expression hardened yet again, "but that isn't all that is out here."  

Gabriel could feel the tension and the feeling of more words wanting to be said from Jack.  

"There is a rather hidden beauty within the landscape. From a distance it appears the land will be rough and untravelable. It turns out I was rather mistaken. With good company and food this would be a place that I could live for all my life" Jack solemnly admitted. He was looking at Gabriel. Like _he_ was the good company. 

"Listen Jack. I know I told you to run away with me. It was stupid and impulsive. I would apologise but I know better. I don't regret this at all. And I don't regret you." 

Jack look visibly confused, as he processed the information. Gabriel could swear he saw a blush creep on Jack's face. 

"I never knew you felt that way about... men." Jack hesitated as if he was making sure that his analysis was correct. His brow was furrowed. He almost looked angry?  

Gabriel fucked up. He really did. Jack would turn him in and he would be hanging by the neck come next week. He hung in head in shame. Impulsive and stupid, Gabriel just got himself killed by revealing himself to a man he hardly knew. He punched himself in the thigh.  

" _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Fucking stupid._ " Gabriel muttered to himself. Each word hitting harder than a thousand of his father's lectures. Never was enough and now never will be. Gabriel was going to die a disappointment through and through. He bit back any tears that threatened to spill. 

"I suppose I have a confession myself." Jack started his words slowly. Treading lightly around a subject that was a landmine. Jack still looked like he was working though the words himself.  "I purposely distanced myself for a similar reason." 

Gabriel was... confused; he was disorientated; his head felt light headed. Jack felt _similarly_? Did that mean that he liked Gabriel? 

"Similar reason?" Gabriel croaked out of his tight throat. His words sounding hurt, like an injured animal. He felt the familiar pressure of a headache closing in on his temple.  

Jack, instead of answering, leant forward and pressed his lips into Gabriel's. A gloved hand wove its way into Jack's soft hair. Gabriel felt... at ease. His stomach no longer felt like it was in his throat. He felt soft finger tips on his underarmour. He was thrust into a world of Jack and, frankly, it was a world he wouldn’t mind spending most of his time in. The scent of soap and sweat lingered in the air between the two. The world didn't exist outside of these two. The Kingdom, the king, the prince and the knight didn’t mean anything to either of them at this one moment.  

Gabriel pulled away half panting.  

"Maybe Jackie, it's time for me to see more years than battles. Maybe it's time for us to be the strongest men and fall to nothing but in love. Maybe it's time to have more scars of love than of war. Maybe it's time to see more birth than to see more death. Maybe being prince isn’t as the fairy tales we were told as children. Maybe being the prince and the knight is however." 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: http://hanzo-mccree-shimada.tumblr.com/  
> Thank you for reading!


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